How the Mighty Fall…Drunk
While reading the back-story about the Hutus and the Tutsi tribes in Rwanda, I came across an interesting piece of the Bible. Check this out:
"Much of [Anthropologist John Hanning] Speke’s Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile is devoted to descriptions of the physical and moral ugliness of Africa’s "Primitive races", in whose condition he found "a Strikingly existing proof in the holy scriptures". For his text, Speke took the story in Genesis 9, which tells how Noah, when just six hundred years old and had safely skippered his ark over the flood to dry land, got drunk and passed out naked in his tent. On Emerging from his oblivion, Noah Learned that his younger son Ham, had seen him naked; that Ham told his brothers Shem and Japheth, of the spectacle, and that Shem and Japheth had, with their backs chastley turned, covered the old man with a garment. Noah responded by cursing the progeny of Ham’s son, Canaan, saying " A slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers!". Amid the perplexities of Genesis, this is one of the most enigmatic stories, and it has been subjected to many bewildering interpretations-most notably that Ham was the original black man. To the gently of the American south, the weird tale of Noah’s Curse justifies slavery, and to Speke and to Speke on his colonial contemporaries it spelled the history of Africa’s People".
-Philip Gourevitch We Wish to Inform you that we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda.
For those of you who do not believe this, check out the bible, I did after reading this. Its all there:
20And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
24And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Wow. Did any of you who guys back home who just read that take that all in? The Bible…justifies slavery? iiiiiinteresting. But then again the Bible has been known to be one of the biggest paradoxes in the history of human origin. Personally this whole thing seems kind of sketchy, but then again, so are catholic priests who like little altar boys.
While I am Roman Catholic and remain so this day, I cannot help but question the stories we read in the good book. However, while I do think this passage is a little fucked up, I am not at all surprised by Noah’s behavior in the beginning of this passage, post apocalyptic flood. He builds himself a fucking Vineyard for god’s sake…a Vineyard (lush). And how many people were left on earth? Not that many. Also, think about it: The man just saved the remnants of the human race along with most of its seemingly important Animals. Yeah, He’s kind of a big deal, so EXCUUUSE me if he wants to party down and have a goblet of wine whist overseeing how his harem of Dodo birds flourish (and fast forward a zillion years? where are they now?! obviously god thought them unworthy of life on earth..must have done something wrong I guess…or was it Darwinism…you decide). Add the fact that he’s just about 400 or so years old and hasn’t died, its no wonder he passed out naked.
But to Curse his younger son for telling his brothers that their father is passed out naked and drunk probably mumbling the incoherent nothingness of his "glory days"? I dunno, seems over the edge that Noah would make Ham’s son the first slave, thus Ham the First Black man, Thus Bible = slavery good thing. My interpretation? Man I have no comment, I’m staying as far away from thisas possible…Maybe it was hot…you get hot when you drink wine…summer day, no fan or air conditioner…you gotta take some layers off. Noah, your son was just trying to help your drunkan ass out right?!!? Where is the bad thing here, save Noah’s binge drinking?! Are you trying to tell me that the religiouos reasons why Slavery is a good thing is because Noah Woke up hungover and slighly embarrased of his previous nights behavior? You’ve got to be fucking me. At least Say Ham forgot to give his father toast or something…that i can buy.
I call for the powers-that-be (or you) to please please give me some explanation to this bizarre tale. Your move.
